Pwllheli Autumn Challenge Series - Week 3
by Christopher Jones 23 Oct 2023 16:26 BST
21-22 October 2023
Pwllheli Autumn Challenge Series week 3 © Sam Kitteringham
Pwllheli was expecting strong gusty winds and rain showers from the tail end of storm Babet but the fleet woke to glorious sunshine and flat glossy seas for the start of the third weekend of the Autumn Series.
Luckily the wind filled in for racing to a pleasant 8-13kt Northwesterly. As is always the case with Northerlies in Pwllheli, the wind comes down off the mountains in eddies, creating very shifty and gusty conditions to test the fleet.
A close fleet at the start line saw Mojito, Jackpot and Sgrech Bach all get great starts with Paul Kitteringham's Elan 350 Finally, coming in at the pin end. Along the beach to mark no 1, Peter Dunlop & Victoria Cox's J109 Mojito just managed to break overlaps and get ahead to round first. Kite up and they were covered by David Lean's J99 Jackpot, eventually forcing Mojito to gybe away. However, the wind shifts benefited Mojito and they started to pull away from the rest of the fleet.
Further back, J70 Mojito Bach, helmed by Chris Jones, got a slow start compared to sister J70, Sgrech Bach, trailing the fleet by 30 seconds at the first mark. An increase in breeze on the final downwind saw the team enjoying the downwind capabilities of the J/70, planing past a few of the larger boats, reaching speeds of over 12 knots.
The top finishing positions were Mojito first, Jackpot second and Sgrech Bach third. Difficulty on Cryd Yr Awel saw them retire from the first race, however, undeterred, they stayed out for the second.
The second race saw an equally close start, this time with autumn series regulars Honeybee, Mojito, Jackpot and Sgrech Bach at the line when the gun went but with winds gradually building throughout the day, the second race saw winds shift around to a more Northerly 15 to 22kts. The race saw close battles between several boats in the fleet, with Finally fighting Jackpot downwind and the J70s going head to head on the first upwind. The race was defined by a large raincloud on the long upwind back to mark 2, bringing the breeze up and left, Mojito Bach, Finally and Faenol were the primary beneficiaries of this in the midfleet, pulling away from those unable to make it left in time. Meanwhile, Mojito and Jackpot, both on good form had disappeared upwind, claiming first and second respectively, with Mojito Bach coming in third.
Sunday and forecasts all showed very little wind but with katabatics at play first thing, race officer Robin Evan's was able to start the race with an enlarged fleet, joined by Wild Haggis, Flair IV, Lightning and Darling.
Mojito Bach, late to the start area had to sail over the start line with kite up before they could start, joking with Stephen Williams' Darling that everyone else was going the wrong way. Meanwhile at the front, series leaders Mojito, just ahead of David Lean's J99 Jackpot and Will Partington's Hunters, Honeybee, thought they'd got a perfect start, only to find they were recalled. Eventually after managing to get back, they started the race about 5 minutes after the rest of the fleet but with tricky wind holes to negotiate, they were able to sail around much of the fleet to be third to the windward mark following Mark Thompson's J70 Sgrech Bach and Nigel Ingrams Farr 30, Wild haggis.
Just behind, coming across to the mark on starboard was Paul and Sam Kitteringham's 'Finally'. Adamant they weren't going to give room to Jackpot, Mojito Bach and Ashley Field's Sunfast Panache all on port, they lost speed allowing the tide to pull them into the mark and ended up having to do turns in the falling breeze.
Down to the Pwllheli fairway buoy and Paul Sutton's Farr X2, Lightning showing off their beautiful gossamer sails as they were keeping the pressure on the rest of the fleet.
In the end, it was Sgrech Bach who took the win, demonstrating their skill and experience in navigating the challenging conditions. They were followed by the rapid Farr 30, Wild Haggis. Mojito Bach recovered from their inverted start to third.
The last race saw a mildly stronger, more reliable breeze arrive. Mojito Bach started correctly and ahead, closely followed by Honey Bee. The course saw the fleet sail a right-trapezium course, with a light upwind followed by 2 kite legs. Leading boats Wild Haggis, Lightning and Mojito Bach managed to make it around the reach mark before the wind shifted, forcing some of the trailing boats to drop their kites prematurely.
A carefully managed race saw Mojito Bach take the win for the first time in the autumn series, followed by Mojito and Wild Haggis. Wild Haggis frustratingly only 1 second behind Mojito on corrected time after an hour and 20 minutes of racing.
Mojito still leads the series and class 1 by just one point ahead of class 2 leaders, Sgrech Bach. David Lean's Jackpot is in third but despite missing 5 races, Nigel Ingram's Wild Haggis is on the same points in 4th place overall, currently first in class zero.
A great weekend of racing, the Pwllheli Autumn Series resumes on the 4th/5th of November, with the final showdown planned for the 18th/19th.
Full results and more information can be found on the club website at www.PwllheliSailingClub.Co.Uk